Edward Roberts (Canadian politician)

Roberts served as the first executive assistant to premier Joey Smallwood starting in 1964.[3][2] He entered provincial politics two years later, running in the 1966 Newfoundland general election for the provincial Liberals. He was elected to the House of Assembly, representing the riding of White Bay North. He was subsequently named first parliamentary assistant to Smallwood, before being appointed minister of public welfare in July 1968, and minister of health a year later.[1][2] It was in that last role that Roberts presided over the implementation of Newfoundland's healthcare system.[4][5] Moreover, the Health Sciences Centre hospital in St. John's was built and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine was established during his time in office.[5]

During his tenure in the legislature, Roberts became noted as a "sharp-tongued debater", gaining the nickname "Scrap" from his closest friends.[3] He won leadership of the provincial Liberals on the first ballot in February 1972, after Smallwood initially left politics, and consequently became Leader of the Opposition.[2][3] Two years later, he fended off a challenge from Smallwood for the party leadership,[1][2] retaining it in two ballots.[3] Smallwood then formed a breakaway party called the Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party, which led to the Liberal vote being split in the 1975 election and the Progressive Conservatives maintaining power.[1][3] Two years later, Roberts lost the party leadership to Bill Rowe.[1][2] Roberts continued to sit in the legislature and served as House Leader for a time, before leaving politics for the first time in 1985.[2]

Roberts initially declined a request by Liberal leader Clyde Wells before the 1989 election to return to politics.[3][4] He eventually relented and was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General, as well as Government House Leader, in February 1992.[2] Roberts was the last unelected individual to be appointed to the provincial cabinet.[6] He proceeded to run in the by-election for Naskaupi in Labrador four months later and won the seat,[2][4] despite the fact that he did not reside in Labrador.[6] He was subsequently returned in the general election the following year. He remained justice minister briefly under Brian Tobin until retiring from politics the second and final time in March 1996,[2] two months after Wells' own retirement.[4] Roberts was the only person to serve as a cabinet minister in the province's first three Liberal governments, those of Smallwood, Wells, and Tobin, with a political career spanning thirty years.[7]

After retiring from politics, Roberts served as chairman of the Board of Regents of Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1997 until his appointment as lieutenant governor in 2002. In that capacity, he pledged to expand the university's infrastructure and innovative programs.[8]